Texas church shooting: Grief-stricken residents hold candlelight vigil
Source:AFP
President Donald Trump condemned what he described as a "horrific shooting" and pledged the full support of the federal government
A gunman armed with an assault rifle opened fire on a Sutherland Springs, Texas church, killing 26 people and wounding 20 in the last mass shooting to shock the United States.
(Photograph:AFP)
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The victims ranged in age from five to 72. The dead included the 14-year-old daughter of pastor Frank Pomeroy.
Around 11:20 AM, the gunman fired outside at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, a rural community of about 400 people located 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of San Antonio. He then entered the building and continued to spray bullets with a Ruger AR assault-type rifle.
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A local resident grabbed the shooter's rifle as he exited the church and gave chase.
Other victims include a six-year-old boy named Rylan who was rushed to hospital after being shot four times but died during surgery, his uncle said. A two-year-old was also shot and wounded.
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Law enforcement later found the gunman dead in his car, which had crashed, on the Wilson-Guadalupe county line.
It is not clear if the gunman had committed suicide or was shot by the resident who had confronted him. Authorities declined to identify the gunman, saying only that he was a young white male in his early 20s
(Photograph:AFP)
;Sunday's attack one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern US history.
The shooting came just five weeks after the worst shooting in modern US history, when a gunman in Las Vegas fired down from a hotel room onto an outdoor concert, killing 58 people and wounding hundreds.